Friday, 02 September 2011

Motorists Swap Road for The Runway to Take a Flight of Fancy

An exciting idea for a ride and drive event really took off amongst customers of Mercedes-Benz Cheltenham & Gloucester when the retailer provided them with the chance to sample a stunning selection of high performance models on the runway of neighbouring Gloucestershire Airport.

The exhilarating driving event saw the Staverton retailer assemble £900,000-worth of vehicles from the renowned Mercedes-Benz AMG range for customers to test drive on the smooth, straight tarmac of the Airport’s runway. The eight cars included the latest addition to the line-up in the shape of the C 63 AMG Coupé and the awesome SLS 63 AMG super sports car, which is used as the Formula 1™ pace car and scorches from 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds, as well as flagship S-Class and SL-Class models.

Over two consecutive evenings, 45 customers were invited to put the cars through their paces and also experience what the vehicles could do at the hands of a professional driver.

Paul Simpson, Mercedes-Benz of Cheltenham & Gloucester’s Sales Manager, said the exclusivity of the event perfectly complemented the ethos of the AMG brand. All AMG engines are hand-built using a ‘one man, one engine’ philosophy whereby the power unit is stamped with the signature of the engineer who made it. “This was a unique opportunity for customers to experience these halo models on private land and the high octane, no frills approach was extremely well received,” explained Paul. “The course featured a straight run along the runway with a slight hairpin bend at the end, which enabled them to enjoy the awesome power of these cars at full throttle but also get a feel for the uprated suspensions and braking systems.

“Whether driving themselves or sitting alongside a professional driver, the smiles on people’s faces when they stepped out of the cars clearly indicated that this was an event that would live long in the memory,” he added. “Whilst the AMG models were the undoubted stars on both evenings, special thanks must go to the team at Gloucestershire Airport for providing us with the perfect location in which to show off these phenomenal cars to the full.”